Teach Me What to Thay
by Astral Thatcher
Summary: Just as Sollux begins to start discovering his feelings for him, Karkat introduces his roommate to his new boyfriend. Sollux/Karkat, Eridan/Karkat, Eridan/Sollux M for future sexual content and language. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE
1. Far From Home

_So I decided that I'd post this on Tumblr as well as FFN because I'm not sure how many people would read it where, so… It feels weird, actually. It's the first thing that I've actually finished writing in a long time. And it's the first legititmate Homestuck thing I've posted here. Okay enough reminiscing.  
__I apologize for the length of this chapter. I plan on making the others longer than this._

_Enjoy!~_

**Summary: **Just as Sollux begins to start discovering his feelings for him, Karkat introduces his roommate to his new boyfriend. But when things begin to backfire on his best friend, does Sollux have it in him to protect the one who hurt him? Or will he turn away, and leave his new found feelings behind with Karkat's problems?**  
****Pairings: **Sollux/Karkat, Eridan/Karkat, Eridan/Sollux  
**Rating: **M for language and future sexual/rape content

* * *

Upon hearing a knocking on the door, you gave an exasperated sigh, somehow managing to tear your eyes from the screen of your laptop, and roll – painstakingly - off of your bed. Opting to take your delicate time with it, another pound sounds impatiently as you half-heartedly search for some pants to cover the god-awful, honey color, bee-riddled boxers your legally blind sister had picked out for you. Hey, they were boxers, and you had sort of slacked off on your laundry in the previous week. You were _that _desperate…and lazy not to just do your damn laundry. You find an overly-simple pair of grey skinny jeans and slip them on as yet another knock rings in your ears. God, that person was impatient. In budding annoyance, you give up on finding a shirt, taking two long strides toward the door.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" you hear as you prepare to greet the visitor. "Put a goddamn shirt on, for fuck's sake."

"Nice to thee you too, KK," you reply, your voice dripping with a joking sarcasm. The two of you stand there for a moment, looking at each other; he just waits in the doorway, his hands fidgeting awkwardly at his sides, while you lean, bare-chested, against the edge of the door. From behind your anaglyph glasses, you look into his ever tired-looking eyes as they look back up to you, just visible beneath his furrowed eyebrows. That grey gaze of his sends jolts through your spine from the base of your neck, straight into the pit of your stomach. It was something that was happening much more frequently, though you didn't quite understand what it was, and self-analysis was never your strong point. So you tended to leave it alone, and not even attempt to elaborate on it.

After a moment, he finally became irritated ("Are you gonna fucking let me in or not, fuckass?") which you realize was your subconscious goal. You give a smile that shows that you're laughing at him on the inside, but remain standing in the doorway. "Why the fuck did you knock in the firtht place? It'th your apartment too, y'know."

"Don't you think I fucking know that?" Your roommate started forward, but stopped himself, his gaze awkwardly falling to the ground.

"What ith it?"

"I just had to make sure that your lazy fucking ass was somewhat decent, assnuzzler."

"Wh-" You didn't have a chance to ask for his reasoning before a much taller male (than either of you, you notice) appears from behind the wall outside the door, settling to a stance behind Karkat. "And you are?" Not liking the looks of this fellow, you begin the interrogation immediately after a mere second of stunned silence.

"Someone w-who's already gettin' annoyed by the sound a' your woice."

And he was complaining about _your _"woice?" Did he ever hear himself when he talked? _Oh wait, _you think to yourself. That was probably the only reason he said anything in the first place.

"Well, that'th polite," you snap back, knowing you didn't have a very good line of insults in your arsenal. "If you were ekthpecting to come in, you can forget it.

"W-wow-w. And I thought you w-were kiddin' w-when you told me he had a lisp, Kar."

"Do you alwayth thpeak with thuch an inthuffereable accent?"

"Do those glasses help w-with your depth perception?"

"Are thothe glatheth, or thome thort of deformity?"

"Do you style your hair like that, or is it naturally that gay?"

"Doeth that thcarf of yourth help hide your whoreth' hickieth?"

"GUYS!"

You both pause for a moment on Karkat's outburst, lining up possibilities to use against him, your eyes still boring into his with an implicit, mutual hatred. After a few more moments of merciless glares, Karkat finally spoke again. "Sollux, this is m-"

"Eridan Ampora," the douche interrupted, a twisted, arrogant smile spawning on his lips, as he tilted his head upward to look at you down the length of his nose. The way he pronounced his last name sent a horrid chill through you, making it sound along the lines of "emperor" in that ridiculous accent of his. You get the feeling that _wasn't_ an accident.

Still casting sideways glowers toward this intruder, you fix your attention on your roommate. "Tho… Who'th thith douche bag?" you reiterate, hopefully able to get a more elaborate answer than just a name.

"My-"

Your best friend couldn't even get his sentence out before _Eridan _was interrupting again, this time pushing past him to force his way into the apartment. The fact that Karkat had to catch himself from the movement made you blood boil, more than it should have. Seriously, who was this guy? To show up at your door unannounced – granted with the company of Karkat, your roommate and (supposed) best friend – then just waltz right in as if he paid the rent every month. Not only that, but to treat his "friend" that brought him here in the first place like total shit. Needless to say, you definitely weren't very fond of him.

And who would expect you to be? Certainly not Karkat. What was he even thinking bringing this guy here? He was a prime example of exactly the type of person you can't stand; stuck up, arrogant, and with a "the-world-revolves-around-me-let-me-post-what-I'm-doing-every-second-of-every-day-on-Twitter-because-everyone-cares" type of attitude. Not to mention the way he dressed; Rata Plus Vans, with (two sizes, to small) fade-out skinny jeans, a purple ("wiolet" you can hear him, correcting. Ugh, you just want him out of your head) and black plaid button-down shirt, and that god-awful stripped scarf. Of course, you've already mentioned the glasses (hipster, with the lenses popped out) but have yet to describe his bottle-blonde hair with a purple streak running up the middle, styled back and the obvious trace of a tan, probably about as fake as his purple contact lenses.

He stood in the center of the living room, Karkat slowly trudging in behind him, staying somewhere between the two of you in the event that one of you tries to attack the other, no doubt. Eridan's gaze didn't settle on one place; his eyes roamed, seemingly inspecting every minute detail of your home. The look of almost disgust that crossed his face gave you a hint to the type of life he had growing up: spoiled as fuck.

You close the door with more force than necessary, realizing that you still weren't wearing a shirt. With an exasperated sigh, you make your way to your room – relieved to have a break from Karkat's new friend – to grab the first shirt you see, not caring enough about the company if it were clean or not. You slip on the yellow polo with each sleeve that was either red or blue, ignoring the fact that your bedroom door was left open and you could hear your roommate's "whisper", most likely telling Eridan (you're tired of trying to figure out new names for him) to behave, though you highly doubted that he would. Upon exiting your bedroom, you grab your laptop from on top of the desk, and take it with you to claim a spot on the couch, Eridan glaring at you as you passed. You put your headphones over your ears to block out that stupid accent-slash-stutter, Seether blasting in your ears.

You sat in your place, occasionally glancing up to watch their movements over the next few hours, your eye twitching slightly when Fishdick got too close to your roommate. At long, long last, Karkat's pet left, but of course, not without wishing you a "fare"-well. He stood over you, waiting for some sort of response.

When he received none, he took your headphones by the connector piece, and ripped them from your ears, letting them fall back to the couch with the cord rising up to meet your neck. You kept your – tensed – hands on the keyboard, in an attempt to keep from hitting his smug face, but you made a face that _screamed _bloody murder.

"Nice meetin' you, _Sol._ I hope w-we can do it again soon." Eridan was leaning over so that is face was mere inches from your own, a haughty smirk still plastered to his fish face. You just barely resisted the urge to stretch out your leg and send your heel into a very sensitive area, for Karkat's sake more than anyone's. Barely.

You were already retrieving your headphones when your best friend turned back to you after closing the door behind his guest, putting them around your neck. The two of you sat in silence, waiting for even a single word from the other. Karkat's gaze couldn't quite meet yours, you notice. His hands were again fidgeting at his sides, his weight shifting from foot to foot after every second or two that passed. Your expression was expectant, waiting for an explanation for such a vile creature entering your home.

"Tho…" you start.

"What?" Karkat snaps.

"Nothing," you say calmly. "Jutht…curiouth."

He exhales through his nose, seeming to carefully calculate how to say his next words. "What did you think of him?"

You couldn't help but scoff. "You're really athking what I think of him? Why doeth my opinion matter at all? After all, you theemed perfectly capable of inviting him over without my conthent."

"Why the fuck would I need your 'conthent', you obstinate bastard? It's my goddamn apartment, too!"

"The keyword there being 'too'!" As hard as you tried, you couldn't keep you voice from rising in volume. What had gotten into him? What had happened to your best friend? "That implieth that you _comprehend _that thith apartment belongth to both of uth. Meaning, if anyone cometh over, both of our opinionth thould be taken into conthideration!"

"You wouldn't have known already if you wanted him over or not, dumbass, because you've never met him until now!"

"You could've at leatht texted me that you were inviting thomeone over! Did you ever thtop to think I wathn't in the mood for company?"

"You made that pretty fucking obvious from the start!"

"Well, thit! I wonder why! And yet you _thtill _you let him thtay!"

"Yeah, he was already over! I wasn't about to send him away because you were being a selfish asswipe, dickwad!"

"_I _wath being thelfith? OKAY, let'th rewind through that entire converthation we _jutht _had about thith being _our _apartment! I mean, who even ith thith guy?"

By the way you two were arguing you felt like you were in court, only there was no judge to call order, and you were serving as the jury.

"…He's my boyfriend."

And the defendant just pleaded guilty.


	2. Leave Me in the Dark

_Kill me now, please. I can't even handle what I wrote. The beginning, and especially the end. Oh Geez.  
Also, I'm sorry I can't Karkat. ._. Just putting that out there, I don't pretend to know how to Karkat. If you have any pointers on how to do so, I will gladly accept constructive criticism for such a thing.  
Last thing: I wanted to thank those of you reading this story _for _reading, and I hope that you continue to stick with it until the end. I would love to have people comment/review and reblog (depending on what site you read this on), but it's nothing big if you don't. It'll help encourage me to keep writing, but I don't think I'll be giving up on this anytime soon, regardless.  
But again, thanks, and enjoy!~_

He pulls on your collar to bring you down to his level, smashing his lips roughly into your own. Your eyes open wide, and you contemplate pulling away, but he presses ever so desperately against you, and you find yourself wrapping your arms around his waist, twirling him around to land – albeit, forcibly – on your mattress. Every motion is rushed as your lips part for a brief moment while you scramble to clamber on top of him, his legs straddling your hips mechanically. The two of you eagerly kiss again, his hands tangling in your golden brown hair, your own fingers tracing up and down his sides. Gently yet hastily, your lips wander lower, teasing his neck with slight nips, following the line of his collarbone. Hushed mewls streamed with heated lust escape him, and you can't help but to roll your hips downward into to his to create friction between both of your growing erections. Nails raked your shoulders, fingers coming to clench in the cloth of your shirt, as his back arches, frantic for another wave of pleasure.

From beneath his dark, coppery-brown hair, you can see his grey orbs piercing into your dichromatic eyes, full of yearning, seeming now to energize your every move. He clawed at your shirt, and you quickly brought him up with you, pulling him into your lap. You grab the hem of his shirt, and he readily allows you to pull it over his head. Before he has a chance to undress you, you teasingly grind your hips again, grabbing him at the waist to drag him down against you. An animalistic growl emanates from deep in his throat as another jolt shoots through you. Finally, he grabs your ridiculous clothing, and rips it away from you, throwing it to the floor. He attacks your bare chest with kisses and full-on bites. You embrace him to your chest so you can lay him back against the mattress while he continues to leave livid red marks on your skin. Your partner takes more control by driving his own groin upward into yours, eliciting simultaneous moans from you both.

Growing impatient, you grab a handful of his hair and nearly jerk his head back, crushing your lips to his. Your hand glides down his front on its own accord, and begins to play with the button of his pants. Yours have become uncomfortably tight, and – judging by the tent protruding from his jeans – you imagine the feeling was mutual. Still kissing him, your single hand conquers the button and zipper, and begins to play with the elastic of his boxers. You tug up, and let the rubber snap back down, causing him to inhale sharply, pulling away from your face, and hiss as he releases the air.

Just as your hand begins to slither its way down the front of his boxers, you hear the Zelda "Secret Passage Found" tone from your phone, informing you of a text. You desperately want to ignore it, but you can't keep your eyes from agonizingly twitching open. It takes you a moment, but you finally register that you're lying on your back, and that your room was as empty as when you had fallen asleep. You sigh and shift your lower half in an attempt to get more comfortable, only to find that you had gone to bed with your skinny jeans on, and that they were excruciatingly tight in certain vicinities. That was when the realization of what had been going on in your dream hit you like a comet the size of planet fucking Jupiter.

With an annoyed sigh you reach for your phone (and unzip your pants to gain some moving room) still high from sleep, even at – you unlock the screen – two o'clock in the afternoon. Below the clock on the device, you see the notification for the message, showing you a picture of a particular blonde kid with aviators, labeled under "2cumbag" in your contacts list.

"You are fucking thitting me, Thtrider…" you groan to yourself after reading his text for your plans to hang out, trailing off, another surge of realization coming to your barely conscious mind. _Was I doing that with who I think I was…in that dream? _you ask yourself. "You are fucking thitting me," you repeat, louder this time, stunning yourself with this newfound recognition. _Holy…shit. Shit, shit, shit, motherfucking son of a bitch bastard. _You can't even think straight anymore. You quickly formulate some theories to your suddenly eccentric dream, but quickly push them aside; they were all missing one key element for such a thing to be true, and you were positive that that element did _not _even exist… Right? You were so horrible with self-analysis!

You hastily text Dave back, telling him to go ahead and come over, and to bring his sister, Rose. You weren't _very _good friends with her simply because you had only met her once or twice, but your best bro always carped about her "psycho bullshit" and you figure talking to her could help you figure this mess out, although awkward if you mention the wet dream. But you were willing to do anything at this point.

You lay on your bed a few minutes more, half because you're still in pure disbelief of your possible conclusion, and the rest because you're still waiting for Dave to text back. Your phone chimes again, making you jump due to the sudden lack of silence.

"why does the flighty broad need to come"

"ii have two talk two her, that'2 all."

"what could you possibly need to talk to her about that you cant come to your only best bro for"

"you'll fiind out when you briing her over."

"whatever bro"

You slide your phone closed and throw it next to you on the bed, at a loss for what to do. Your morning wood isn't as bad as it was, so you zip up your pants and roll of off your bed, grabbing a clean pair of shorts and boxers, and make your way to the bathroom to take a shower.

As the scalding water runs down your back, your thoughts dwell on your dream, the blood rising to your cheeks. You feel guilty for dreaming something like that, and for no apparent reason. Especially now that- the complete thought made you want to punch a wall. Especially now that Karkat was dating someone. Under any other circumstance, you would be happy for him, even if there was a possibility of a certain attraction to your best friend. But, no, he had to go and date just about the biggest douche bag you had ever met, second only to Dave. Actually, maybe second only to you after what had happened when Karkat had told you he was dating Eridan.

You would never be shallow enough to be – or at least, admit to being – jealous, but this guy your roommate was dating just didn't give you the most comfortable feeling, to say the least, and you didn't want Karkat to get hurt, even if your maybe-not-existent desire to be with him wasn't requited.

And why would it be? Wait, do you even want it to be? Shit, you _mean_ was there even anything to even _be _requited? You weren't sure you even _swung _that way, for fuck's sake!

_What a mess, _you think to yourself as you step out of the shower, running a towel carelessly through your hair. You quickly get dressed and decide to brave a look outside of your connected bedroom and bathroom to see if Karkat's still at home. Finding that he isn't, you heave a sigh of relief until you imagine where he might be, and who with. Unconsciously clenching your teeth, you make your way to the small kitchen to fix something simple – like toast – to gorge yourself with until Strider and Rose arrived.

You didn't have long to wait before there was a knock on your door, and an obnoxiously stoic voice at the door saying "Yo, Sollux, you gonna eat that pizza you ordered?" With a fair amount of effort after your "early-morning" self-pitying, you throw the plate onto the coffee table, and stand to allow your guests entry.

"I didn't order any pizza, Thrider-" you tell him as you swing the door open.

"Dibs," Dave declares as he pushes past you, heading straight for the couch, indeed carrying a pizza from the same company he worked for. You shake your head at the sheer assholery from someone who calls you a bro, turning back to address the lady.

"It's lovely to see you again, Sollux," Rose greets you, her hands folded in front of her.

"You too, Lalonde. Pleathe, make yourthelf at home."

"Thank you."

After closing the door, you offer the two of them something to drink – Dave asks for whatever kind of soda you have (his mouth stuffed with chunks of pizza) and Rose settles for water "since you don't appear to be the type to drink tea, and I know Karkat better than that" – and settle on the floor on the opposite side of the table. The three of you sit in near silence for a moment, Dave's wolfing down of his lunch being the only sound. God, sometimes he could be so uncool.

It had seemed like an eternity before Rose had finally broken the silence. "So, Sollux, I am led to believe there was an exclusive motive for my being present."

"Uh, yeah, I gueth."

"Alright, I heard a 'no' there, so Rose, I guess that means you can go," Dave said. "Here take my car keys, and pick me up in a few hours, will you?"

"Dave, please do attempt to be civil," Rose pleaded. "I have come to assume that this is a rather staid affair?" She crossed her legs, the sentence forming as a question aimed toward you, instead of a statement to convince Dave of the importance of her presence.

"Dependth on what you call 'thtaid'. That _doeth _mean theriouth, right?"

"Of course," she said with a small giggle. "Excuse me if I jumped to conclusions, but I consider that as the most plausible of a very select few of reasons as to why a friend of my…_dear _brother's would ask to speak with me."

"It theemth ath though it wath the right choice."

"So it would seem. Now, what is it that's troubling you?"

"Ah shit, Sollux, what have you gotten yourself into?" Dave interjected. "She's actually fucking intrigued; that means trouble."

"Hush, hush."

You proceed to tell them about Eridan, and exactly the way he seemed to treat you and Karkat. You don't fail to mention the anger you felt when he was too close to your roommate for comfort, and how in the past few weeks, you've gotten that sensation running down your spine whenever the short brunette looked at you with his hard eyes. By the time you finish, Rose is staring at you harder than she was when your story began; you figure she was simply lost in thought.

"Bro, she's studying you hard," Dave commented. She moved to back-hand him on the arm – more gently than you would have hoped – and returned to rest a loose fist against her chin, still not breaking eye contact with you.

After a moment of a harmless stare-down between the two of you, her thin, black lips parted. "What happened yesterday after he informed you of his current relationship status?"

"I jutht…thorta thut down. I didn't thay a word to him after that, and thtill haven't."

"Why?"

"Becauthe I wath tho…hurt, I gueth."

She lightly hummed in consideration. "There's something else, isn't there? Something you don't much care to divulge."

"Yeah, he likes Karkat, big deal." Again, Rose reached out, this time to push Strider's head away with more force than she hit him, in an attempt to shut him up. It only encouraged him. "Sollux loves Karkat. Sollux loves Karkat," he drawled with a faint southern accent in a voice that screamed "bored."

Ignoring him, you continue to mull over your options about telling them about the dream, your guilty gaze falling to the floor. You glance back up to Rose, her intent lavender eyes staring expectantly through you, determined not to take no for an answer. With a sigh, you admit to there being something else. "I had a dream. It included him. It wath…um." You didn't know exactly how to word it. Either way, the ridicule would never end with this particular best friend of yours sitting there. A blush rose to your cheeks.

"Oh, my damn," Dave mused, most likely in understanding. "Bro, you've got it bad if you're having wet dreams abou-"

"No need to go further!" Rose sent a warning glare in her brother's direction, his hands lazily tilting up at the wrists in defense. Turning back to you, she asked "So, what exactly did you expect to learn by speaking with me?"

"Well, I wath jutht wondering if you could tell me the reathon behind all of thith-"

"The answer's pretty fucking obvious, Captor."

"Thut up, Thrider! I didn't athk for your opinion."

"I hate to admit it, Sollux. There aren't many- actually, there aren't any other explanations."

"But I don't even know if I'm…homothexual. Or even _bi_thexual! Ethpecially toward that thort athhole."

"I'm sorry, but-"

Rose's sentence was cut short by the door opening, as said short asshole entered. He stopped part way through closing the door when he noticed that you had company over.

"Hello, Karkat," Rose greeted him.

Your gaze turned away from him once he started moving again, closing the door and coming to stand next to the end of the coffee table. "Lalonde." He gave a bitter chuckle. "So much for both of our opinions being taken into consideration…" His intense gaze fell to Dave.

Feeling your heart pounding in your chest – partially because his attitude toward you was painful, the rest from anger at being accused of being a hypocrite – you kept your voice level as you spoke. "You invited thomeone over yethterday that we didn't agree on. It wath my turn."

"Fuckass," Karkat mumbled, walking away toward his room, and slamming the door shut.

You had to take multiple deep breaths to calm yourself down, Rose coming over to place a comforting hand on your shoulder. "As I was saying," she began in a lowered voice, "I believe it would be best if you tried to decipher your feelings yourself, though they already seem evident to everyone else. It wouldn't hurt to apologize, either." Your counselor stood, walking to the door, and turning back to Dave as she made a quick exit. "I'll be walking to the library around the corner. Text me when you're done here, and – please – do come get me to take me home. I hope everything works out in your favor, Sollux, however that may be." With that, you wave, and she nods in acknowledgement as she closes the door.

Dave gave a low whistle. "Damn-"

"Don't! Thay. A word." You sighed as you ran a hand carelessly through your hair. Suddenly you feel you know even less than you did. When you glare in Strider's direction, he immediately stops humming "Hide 'n Seek" when he sees your expression, and chuckles when you throw a remote at his chest.

* * *

"We're going to go the McDonald'th," you yell through Karkat's door. When you don't hear a reply, you sigh and crack the door open. Without much sincerity, you ask "Do you want anything?"

He's lying on his stomach on his bed, looking at a paper in front of him, with his hand up by his ear. "Wait, hang on a sec." Karkat places his free hand over the receiver of the phone, hissing out a harsh "_What?_"

"Do you want. Anything. From McDonald'th?" you ask again with the same manner he used.

"Are you really that fucking blind? I'm on the phone, dipshit!"

"Ekthcuthe me for trying to be civil."

Clearly that was the end of the conversation, seen as how he turned his attention back to whoever was on the other end of the phone. "Hey, Eridan. I'm back."

There was a slight pause, and your stomach churned.

"I had to deal with a sack of worthless slew."

Another break in the conversation.

"Yeah, the nookswab I have the absolute fucking _pleasure _of calling my roommate."

Having heard enough after experiencing an aching twinge in your heart, you silently close the door, not wanting to disturb your former-friend's conversation further. You stood with your hand still on the doorknob, aware of Dave's inquiring look at your back. You don't care anymore; you block him out just like you wish you could with everything else: your decision to ever suggest rooming with Karkat, and especially your maybe-somewhat-present feelings toward him.

Yeah, he had always been an ass, always called everybody – very creative, you'll admit – names that were meant to insult them, but everyone came to learn that that was just…_Karkat_. And it's not like you'd never been able to come back at him with more insults. In all honesty, it was all in good fun, even if he was legitimately huffy by the end of it.

But now you can sense the difference; the way he talks to you, and the way he avoids you. When he calls you those names, it's not like it used to be. There isn't a faint chance that he's joking anymore. When he calls you things like "assnuzzler" and "nookswab", he is genuinely trying to hurt you. And you can't handle it. You two had always been the type of friends to poke fun and do stupid shit to insult and embarrass the other, but you still tried to be there for each other when the other needed it, even if you couldn't always solve his problems, or didn't know the right thing to say.

All of that is gone now – and you can't handle it – all because of one person.

You want so much to blame Karkat's…boyfriend for this, to pin it all on him. But you know you'd be falsely accusing him.

It wasn't his fault at all. It was entirely yours; all of it was _you_. All because _you _couldn't be accepting of his decision, all because _you _were having issues with the person Karkat was dating, all because _you_…

You didn't realize you were shaking until Dave placed a hand on your shoulder, causing you to jump. As you turn, you take a sharp breath you didn't realize you were waiting on, blinking your eyes for the first time since you closed the door, taken aback when tears streamed from the corners of your eyes. God, were you really crying? And in front of Strider, of all people.

But he didn't rub it in. He simply stood next to you, rubbing your back gently with one hand while you wiped the atrocious proof of inner pain from your face, his eyebrows slightly knitted together in concern. Ever so softly, you sniffle, pulling yourself together while Dave does his best to tell you – in his own way – that he's there for you.

"C'mon, bro," he encourages. "We've got a McDonald's slide with our name on it."

You attempt a weak smile –knowing he's not joking - but it may have formed as more of a grimace. The two of you walk out of the apartment, and you can't help but steal a glance toward his bedroom.

_You _will make this right. And you can handle it.


	3. Treated Like a Thtranger

_Hey, everyone! Sorry this is late. ^^; I was lazy, and didn't really want to write the mall scene, and it probably shows, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer than you had to. I'll do better with the next chapter, though, I promise! Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed: Thatguyyoualllove, XxReddShadowxX, AbsoluteAddiction-x, Mirum, Naomi, and Desiaeru. You all are awesome, and I love you! =D This chapter is dedicated to you guys. And to anyone else who might be following this story on Tumblr!  
_

_And I guess since I never actually did a disclaimer, that would kinda be a good thing to do? I do not own the Homestuck or Disney characters that may have, or will be mentioned. The same goes for the mention of Mass Effect, and PS3. This applies for the entire story._

_Now that formalness is out of the way, enjoy!~_

* * *

Children run past you, screaming at the top of their lungs as you sneer in their direction, hoping your eardrum didn't just get _completely _massacred. Strider, as per usual, ignores it, drowning more of his fries in the heap of ketchup he piled on his burger wrapper. Why he insisted on dragging you to the most raucous place, you have yet to discover. He sits, trying to explain to you that it's a good idea to be around a lot of strangers that draw your attention away from your problems.

"Yeah, and come up with new wayth to dethpithe the human race and how to dithpothe of their carcetheth," you counter. "Remind me to tell AA that I'll be having a corpthe party thoon."

Your friend gave a light chuckle. "But it keeps your mind off of him, doesn't it?"

You shrug.

"Not to mention, for someone with a love of duality, I can't help but notice you're quite the solitary creature," he provokes, a faint joking tone in his voice. "It's good to be around people. Keeps you social." As if on cue, a young, questionably-single mother walked by, carrying a tray of food, and Dave flashed his patented smirk toward her. She smiled back until she realized her child's head was stuck in one of the cut-out windows.

"I don't want to thpend my time with thrangerth, Thrider. I want to thpend it with KK." The blonde's eyebrows rose high above his shades, and it takes you a moment to realize what you said. "I-I mean…I- Thit. I jutht need more time with him to figure out ekthactly what the hell ith going on with my emotionth, alright?"

"Sollux! Such foul language around such innocent ears!" The mock shock in his voice was remarkable.

You send him the finger inconspicuously by pushing up your anaglyph glasses with it.

He chuckles a "whatever you say, Sollux," referring to your cover-up reason. An awkward silence falls between you two, as the conversation becomes heavy. "So…what _are _you going to do about him?"

You let out a sigh, knowing you'll have to face that dreaded question sooner or later. Deciding once and for all, you rub your forehead as you spoke. "I'm gonna do what Lalonde thaid; I'm going to apologize to him – and, if necethary, Eridan – and try to make everything ath… Well, ath right ath it can be with him. Hopefully he'th willing to give me a thecond chance, ethpecially if, later on, I _do _find that I like him."

"What are your feelings toward him right now?"

"…Guilt, mothtly. But athide from that, it'th difficult to thay."

He nods in understanding, reaching out a hand for a fist bump. "Good luck to you, bro."

"Yeah…Thankth," you say, returning the gesture.

You're going to need all the luck you can get.

* * *

It doesn't surprise you how much you want to retreat to your room without making any sort of contact. Of course, with his smoky eyes boring into you the way they are, anybody would feel that way, even himself if he were someone else in this moment.

Karkat stands in the kitchen, his lower back and hands resting against the counter, his gaze on you – yet somehow managing to avoid having you in his line of vision at the same time – the moment you stepped through the door. You stand in a, hopefully, casual-looking position with your hands resting (un)comfortably in your pockets, your insides rivaling the legacy of Strider's renowned pirouette.

Just as you open your mouth to speak, he shifts his feet, causing you to stop short, thinking he was moving toward you. He didn't, but your heart pounded nonetheless, and you take a deep breath to begin again.

"KK? Can we…talk?"

"I finally fucking figured it out," he deliberates to himself. Sad, grey eyes slowly shift from your direction to the floor in front of his feet.

"And what ith that?" Even in your own ears your voice sounded as though it had a slight hostile tone in it, but that wasn't the case at all. You search for the resonance of your heart breaking, seeing him this way. Karkat looks miserable, as if he's been crying for the past few hours you were gone. His eyes are puffier than normal, and his face is flushed, the tip of his nose a light red. And when he speaks his voice sounds weak, tired. God, you wanted to slap yourself.

"I figured out why you're so against me dating Eridan…"

You could literally feel your heart stop. Did he suspect you liked him? If that's what he said…how would you even deal with something like that? Deny it, or admit to it? You weren't even sure yourself! How many times does that need to be restated? What if he liked you, and would be willing to go out with you? In that case, you guess you could admit to it, but what if you actually didn't? Then you would end up hurting him in the process, and make all of this ten times worse! You inwardly groan. You just can't get a break…

"You fucking pathetic ass homophobe."

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding. "Wa-Wait. _What_?"

"You fucking heard me, you boobmonger!"

"Karkat," you interject sternly. He looks back up to you, his eyebrows raised high above his widened eyes, and you could have sworn you saw him flinch. Since the first day you met him, you've always called him "KK", only using his full first name when you were dead fucking serious. And he knows it. "It doethn't matter whether or not I perthonally thwing that way. If he'th who you want to be with, by all meanth, be hith boyfriend. Ath long ath you're happy, I don't care who you're with. I'm only concerned for you. I don't want you to get hurt out of all thith, _any _of thith. I don't perthonally thrutht him, but I probably don't…know him like you do. If you're thure he'th who you want, then I trutht your judgement. With that being thaid, I am deeply and honethtly thorry for how I behaved yethterday. It jutht took me by thurprithe. And I'd like to make it up to you, if you're willing to give me a thecond chance. I'll even thow you; invite Eridan to go with uth to the mall tomorrow afternoon. I have thome jobth to do in the morning, tho that'll give me thome ekthtra cath for thpending. O-…-kay?"

The expression you just noticed on his face made you hesitate. He was still looking at you, but Karkat's face was crumpled together, in what looked like pain. It looked as though he was fighting to keep his eyes from scrunching closed, finally staring you straight in the eyes. It wasn't until he closed them completely, lowering his head and covering his face with both hands, that you realized his shoulders were shaking.

Karkat…was actually crying?

You don't even realize you're moving until your hands make light contact with his shoulders, causing both of you to jump. He looks up to you with tear-flooded eyes, his bangs falling in front of his face. When he lunges forward, wrapping his thin arms around your middle, your hands are left suspended until you can function properly, hesitantly returning the gesture. As soon as you are positive that this moment is real, that it _is _happening, your embrace tightens around his shoulders as he breathes sobs into your chest.

Your heart is pounding, and you pray he can't hear it in your chest because of his own blubbering. "I'm sorry, you asshole, making me cry and shit," Karkat whimpers. You smirk against his head, knowing that there were supposed to be separate sentences. Your cheek is against his forehead, and you feel a sudden temptation to pivot your head and place a chaste kiss in his ruffled disorder of hair, but you know you can't. As you let out a shaky sigh, you notice the absence of all emotion, save for the affection for him that you felt there. With that breath, you realize exactly how much you care for him, and exactly in what way…

_Dammit… _Your hands are at his shoulders again, and you're gently prying him away from you, inconspicuously, to wipe away the tears from his cheeks with your thumbs, and look him in the eyes. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm _alwayth _here. And don't you forget it." You point an accusatory finger at him in mock sternness, still meaning every word you're speaking. "Don't hethitate to talk to me, about _anything_, alright?"

Karkat nodded furiously in agreement.

You give a sad smirk, mussing his hair, and tell him, "Now, go tektht your boyfriend."

* * *

Turning the key roughly in the ignition, a split-second fear rises within you that you'll end up breaking it off someday soon. But it's merely a passing thought, as you race out of the library's parking lot to make it to the bank and back to the apartment before Eridan shows up there. You were paid a fair amount for fixing a mass of the computers to help them run faster, so you were set for a day of shopping. The fact that you had sold one of your hand-built gaming computers early this morning certainly helped. It was nice not having to worry about your half of the rent for the next month or two.

You make it to both of your destinations in record time – granted, skipping a few red lights you should have stopped for – but all in vain. Karkat walked out of the bathroom just as you walked in the front door, Eridan strolling innocently from your bedroom as if he belonged there. You keep most of your anger in check, managing to only growl under your breath.

"Are the two of you ready to go?" you asked, doing your best to keep your voice level. Even Karkat was glancing between his boyfriend and you, giving you an impressed look before lowering his gaze to the floor, and ushering you both out of the door.

"W-Whose car are w-we takin'?" Eridan asked as the three of you made your way down the stairs.

"Mine," you tell him.

"W-What make is it?"

"It'th a Dodge Neon."

"Are you kiddin'? You're really plannin' on lettin' me sit in a car like that?"

"Ith that a problem?"

"Obwiously! W-We should take my car."

"Which ith what?"

"A Camaro."

"And thove one of uth – motht likely, me – into the backtheat of that? I don't think tho. I mean, doeth it even _have _a backtheat? Don't anthwer that; we're taking my car, now get in the back," you ordered Eridan.

Karkat did instead when you opened the passenger door. Just as Eridan was about to slide in next to him, you stopped him.

"W-What?"

You turned to him, blocking his path of the car, and told him quietly, "I'm doing thith for Karkat'th thake, not yourth. If I tho much ath ekthpect you're going to do anything to hurt him, thith 'truce' ith retractable. But in the meantime, I don't trutht you with him, tho you will not be riding nektht to him while you're in my car. You'll be riding up front. Now get in."

He sent a scowl in your direction, but you ignored it as you made your way to the driver's side, while Eridan folded the front seat back to its original position, and climbed in.

"W-Which mall are we goin' to?" Eridan asked indifferently.

"Do you ever thtop athking quethtionth?" You heave an exasperated sigh. "To anthwer your quethtion, we'll be going to Northpark. You thould feel right at home there."

The prick seemed to perk up a little at this, sitting up a little straighter in the seat. You turn on the radio, turning the volume close to maximum, to avoid anymore outbursts from him.

You make it to the mall, and not soon enough. Of course he would complain about your taste in music, screaming over the song that was playing, naming off hipster bands that were "so much fuckin' better." Many times you contemplated throwing yourself out of the window and onto the pavement of the highway, making sure to get run over by an oncoming car. You resisted, however, for Karkat's safety, instead throwing yourself out of the car once you were safely parked. Wanting to run away screaming bloody murder, you patiently waited for Karkat to stumble out of the backseat of your beat-up Neon. Boy, this day was going to be a good one.

The first store Eridan drags you both into is Nordstrom. You know from experience that this place is not within your preferred budget. Buying a six-pack of socks would probably be about a fifth of what you made earlier today. Okay, that's an exaggeration. Buying a three-pack of boxers, however…

You know that saying "ask and you shall receive." Well, that's total bullshit right about now. You decide to not even look for anything you'd want. If you don't find anything you'd like, you won't buy it, thus you won't spend any money here. Perfect logic.

Which was more than you could say for Karkat's boyfriend. He's walking through a section with more styles of skinny jeans you had ever cared to know existed, piling pants upon pants upon pants in his arms, until he notices you just standing there and suddenly you're nothing more than his pack mule. If you didn't think bringing him here was a mistake before, you certainly do now.

You notice Karkat hanging back a few feet, half-heartedly shuffling through some clothes racks, and wrinkling his nose in distaste. Well, so much for this being a fun day.

After spending hours (okay, about half of one) in that single damned store – and Eridan buying about half of the things that were even close to his hipster style, which was quite a bit more than you would like to imagine – you're finally able to leave to explore new parts of the mall that you haven't even been to. There was this one time in choir, but you'd rather not relive that moment if you could help it. You were somewhat disappointed to discover that there wasn't a Zumiez store, but, then again, it was probably for the best, in retrospect; you didn't want to have to carry your bought items _as well as _the things Eridan was having you cart around.

The three of you travel in single file, Karkat behind you, and Eridan leading the way. There are multiple stores that you absolutely refuse to enter (such as American Eagle, Banana Republic, and especially Hollister) which leaves you outside where you practically throw all of the bags you're holding to the ground. You didn't think it was possible, but he managed to drag you into Aeropostle, and then proceeded to force you into trying on some clothes that were about a size too small for you. After his first form of torture, you refuse to buy anything he suggests. You've left the store when he comes running back out, carrying at least to bags that, you realize, hold the very same clothes you were wearing moments ago. Not only were you his mule, you were also made his fashion dummy. Wonderful.

Sometimes when you would wait outside (something that seemed to be happening more often than not) Eridan would wander back out of a store, skipping with delight about his new purchase, alone after you'd sworn Karkat had gone in with him. When asked where his boyfriend was, Eridan would merely shrug, and continue to rummage around in his bag before handing it to you. After this same occurrence was repeated on many occasions, you were ready to storm into the store to look for him, but he would immediately trudge out himself, sporting a magnificent scowl that beat out any of his grim expressions you had seen before.

As you were continuing through the mall, Karkat caught up to you, and tried to get Eridan's attention.

"Hey, do you guys think we could go to the Cold Stone Crea-"

"Ooh, look! Pac Sun!" Eridan yelled excitedly, running off in the direction of the store.

You glance to Karkat just in time to see his gaze fall from his boyfriend to the floor. Your eyebrows knit in concern as he hurries in front of you to follow the shopaholic.

Later, you find yourself in GameStop, a store where you can actually shop for something. As you're checking out with a load of new PS3 games, you notice Karkat eyeing the newest of the Mass Effect games. You had never really played any after trying to play the first one – only to find that it was way too easy for you – but he was crazy about them. You tell the cashier that you're going to get one more thing, and walk over, reaching in front of your friend, to grab an entirely new copy. He looks at you with his mouth slightly agape.

"I thought you hated those games."

"I do," you state simply, placing it on the counter.

"Then why the fuck are you spending your money on it?"

"Becauthe you don't." You don't look back to his incredulous face as you grab the bag and make your way to the exit where Eridan was waiting.

You all decide on one last store to visit, to simply just be dorks (and so Eridan can be a hipster): the Disney store. Karkat immediately makes his way past racing children to the back where the enormous pile of stuffed Disney characters are. You follow, pulling out a Donald Duck to hand to him.

"Why'd you hand me this?" he asks you.

"I heard thomewhere that, when giving a thtuffed animal to thomeone, it'th betht to give them one that remindth you of them. That way they know how you thee them in your eyeth."

"So I'm Donald fucking Duck to you? The angry asshole? …Okay, I can see where you're coming from."

"He'th not angry all the time. There are moment where you thee jutht how loving he can be of everyone around him. Thometimeth it'th harder to thee that thide of him, but it'th alwayth there."

For the first time that day, a small smile formed on his lips. He did his best to hide it, trying to smother it on top of Donald's head, but you had definitely seen it. You smile to yourself as you turn back to the pile of plush, and notice Eridan coming up behind you. He inserts himself between you and Karkat (shoving you both out of his way) and grabs an Eeyore.

"He seems more like this fellow-w to me," he says, examining the plushie. Karkat turns away from you both, his eyes scrunching together as if he's in pain. You want nothing more than to hug him, and to punch Eridan in the face. Before you can do either, you're trailing out of the store to sit on a bench outside to calm yourself.

After an insufficient amount of time for you to do so, Karkat and Eridan follow you, the shorter of the two carrying a single bag. He hands it to you, reaching out an arm's length, and heads straight for the parking lot after you take it.

Opening it, you smile as you pull out a plushie of a dog from Oliver and Company, a movie you haven't seen since you were a very small child. He was your favorite character; he was confident and level-headed unless he lost his temper, and he became attached to the stray cat easily. He was protective of those he cared about in any and all situations, and would do what he could to help, even if he didn't always know how.

He was none other than the loving mutt Dodger.

You slip him back into the bag as you follow the couple to your car to make the trek home.


	4. You Look Well on Me

_Hello again! First off, I know I promised to have this out sooner, but then I got sick and didn't feel up to writing. ._. Horrible excuse, I know. I'm sorry! But this chapter is longer than any yet, so I hope that makes up for it!  
I again want to thank all of those who reviewed: AbsoluteAddiction-x, Mirum, GreenBlood10, XxReddShadowxX, Ninja grape turtle, The NightOwl38, VampireFreak127, and The Gem Gem. You all are so cute! (Wow, I had to resist writing "y'all" there. I'm Texan, don't judge me. =p) Just come here and let me cuddle you! I'm getting this chapter out as soon as possible for you guys! Your reviews were awesome, and made me smile, and I didn't want to keep you all waiting, so here you go! Enjoy!~_

* * *

You are absolutely ready to collapse. But when you enter your apartment – Karkat having left again with Eridan after the three of you finished your excursion to the mall – you can't help but notice the overbearing scent of a knock-off of French perfume. You sigh, exasperated, and turn into the kitchen to find the one who was most likely a part of the cause of the choking fragrance.

"Hey, Terezi," you greet calmly, reaching for the fridge in search of food. "Vrithka here?" It was more of a statement than a question, but you ask anyway in hopes of getting a reason.

Your sister chuckles – a sound you would rather describe as a light cackle – and pushes her weight from the edge of the counter to lean the majority of it on her cane. "Freshening herself up in your bathroom," she informs you with a mischievous smirk. "I figured Karkles wouldn't appreciate having the smell in _his_ bathroom _near _as much as you would."

"Vrithka!" you yell in the direction of the bathroom. "Try not to pollute any of my thtuff with your poithon! I can't afford to replace anything that'th overwhelmed with your glorified toilet water."

"Bluh, bluh!" she yells back to you.

"We came to see you, but you weren't home. So we decided to stay."

Turning back to Terezi, coming up from the fridge empty-handed, you tell her, "You know, motht people would decide not to wait for thomeone to come home when they drop by unexpectedly. Yet you decide to break in, inthtead." The brunette grins widely. "How _did _you get in, anyway?"

"Your lock's broken." You didn't think it was possible, but her smile grows.

You stare at her, eyes in slivers, incredulous and annoyed. "It wathn't when I left."

"Must have been robbers. I will begin the investigations immediately!" She lifted her cane into the air with a fisted hand, false determination in her voice.

"Pleathe, don't bother. I'll jutht replace the lock…again."

"But what about your stolen property, Sollux?" The same grin returned. "I know; the trauma of this tragic event has blinded you."

You were rolling your eyes when your sister's best friend entered the room. "What tragic event? I didn't miss it, did I?" She comes to a stop next to Terezi, the blonde's arm snaking around your sister's waist. Vriska and Terezi both send devilish looks in your direction, the taller of the two pivoting her head to speak with your sister. "I'm going to run to Golden Chick for some dinner. You want your usual?"

She gives a quick nod in response. With one more quick glance in the direction of your extremely confused expression, Vriska pivots her head slightly to place a chaste kiss on your sister's lips, whose smile widens once she pulls away.

"Want me to get you something?" The blonde asks as she walks past you to reach the door.

You have to shake yourself out of your stunned stupor, and even then you mumbled, "The…the same thing as…her."

"Gimme some money," Vriska demands, holding out her hand. The order grabs your attention completely, and you look at her with your brows furrowed. "I'm not paying for your shit," she states, her hand still in midair. With a sigh, you dig in your pocket for some leftover ones, making sure to leave the rest of your higher valued bills buried.

You're left in suspense of the questions swarming in your mind while the blonde gathers her purse and shoes to leave. As soon as she's gone, your legally blind sister stares at you expectantly, the same impish grin permanently plastered to her face. You wait for her to begin an explanation to Vriska's previous action, but when she doesn't your eyes begin to shift awkwardly to different places around the room while you plan what to say.

"Tho…what wath that?" _Pchoo! _And the planning goes out the window.

"What was what Sollux? I can't see well, remember? If you're going to ask a question, you should make sure the person you're expecting an answer from knows what you're talking about."

You wanted to slap your forehead. God, you loved your sister to death, but sometimes she could be such a dick.

"You and Vrithka. Mind ekthplaining what that wath?"

"Oh! That was a kiss, dear brother. But, of course, I wouldn't expect you to know that."

Do you even know _one _person that has the capacity to **not** be a total douche?

"Terezi, I'm really not in the mood for thith bull-"

"What's this?" she asked, picking up the bag from the Disney store. Oh, yeah. You had forgotten you had brought that in. The brunette pays no attention to the bag of games, though. Terezi practically rips the bag apart to find what it contains, pulling out Dodger to examine him.

You sigh with irritation. "It'th thomething Karkat bought for me. Would you kindly anthwer my quethtion now?"

She simply "hmm"s as she sets the gift down. Her smile had been wavering slightly, but it reforms again as she turns back toward you. "Typical social behavior dictates that when two people share a kiss on the lips, it usually means they're dating, baby brother." You glare at her. So you were born two hours after her, big deal. She didn't have to flaunt it about all of the time. But you suppose that's simply part of her…"charm".

"Tho you two are official?"

"I never said that."

"Okay." Defeated, you made your way to the couch, letting your weight drop onto it, leaning your chin on your hand to stare out the window. Terezi follows, landing in a similar fashion on the opposite side, throwing her legs over your lap once she's seated. Used to her antics after 19 years, you simply rest your other arm on top of her shins.

"Geez, 'lithpy'! What's got your panties in a bunch? Did you finally confess your love to Karkat? Heehee."

Amazed, your eyebrows raise as you turn your head in her direction. From behind her glasses you could see her eyes, and they weren't straight on you. You shake your head to clear away your slight panic, returning your gaze to the window. _She's only kidding_, you tell yourself.

"Did he turn you down flat? Leave you in the dust? C'mon! I need details in order to investigate." She gasped. "He's the one who broke the lock, isn't he? That bastard. You pour your heart out to him, and he denies you." At this point her voice was dripping with grief. Damn. Her acting skills you unparalleled. "He leaves in a rage, having only now discovered that his ex-best friend and former roommate is a flaming homosexual!" Your sister's arms are waving – though it looks more like a seizure-like flail to you – dramatically, occasionally coming to clasp her hands together against her chest. "And you, left alone in this apartment to fend for yourself until the end of your days, too in love with Karkat to even leave and find somebody else! OH, the tragedy of it all!"

"Will you thtop?" You put a hand on her forehead to lightly push it in the other direction.

"Heehee, nope! If you need someone to help pay the rent, Vriska and I will gladly move in."

"You're believing in your own fairytale. And, definitely not…_ever. _I don't want to be woken up to the thound of you and her making lady babieth, thankth very much."

You expected her to deny that she would, but the chuckle and grin she responds with, frankly…scares the shit out of you.

"Okay, I didn't need to know that the two of you actually even _do _that! At leatht _pretend _to deny it. I mean, FUCK I'm gonna be thcarred for a while…"

"Happy to help!"

"You're my thithter. I don't need to know who you do it with, or that you even do it at all. Change of topic thtarting n-!"

"So have you confessed to Karkat, yet?"

"GAH! There'th not even anything to confeth!"

"OBJECTION!"

"What?"

"Yesterday morning, I received notice that you were in the company of one Dave Strider-"

"THAT BATHTARD TOLD YOU?"

"ORDER IN THE COURT! Now, as a witness to his witnessness, I am led to believe that your harbor some feelings for a rampant little asshole." She scrambled to her hands and knees, her face mere inches from yours in order to interrogate you while she can look into your eyes. You lean back, trying to avoid her half-blind gaze, but she only edges forward. You, of course, are used to this, but that doesn't mean you still don't find it annoying. "So, Mister Captor: **are you,** or are you not, _**guilty **_**of the crimes of which you have been accused?**"

"I leave for ten fucking minutes, and you've already got her in prosecutor mode?" Vriska accuses upon her entrance, setting the food down on the counter.

"Pleathe don't call a witneth to the thtand, pleathe don't call a witneth to the thtand…" you pray under your breath.

"I call Vriska Serket to the stand!"

"No, Terezi. I refuse."

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I think we're done here, babe."

"OVERRULED!"

"Terezi." Vriska's voice is gentle, but firm, as she takes your sister's hands and folds then within her own, forcing the partially-blind "prosecutor" to look her in her single cerulean eye. "Stop. You are not in court, and your brother is not on trial, nor is he guilty…as much as I would like for him to go away for a few years-"

"Thankth!"

"-or be sentenced to death," she continued with a shrug.

"But he-"

"Shh! No. Go splash some water on your face." When Terezi begins to turn back to you, Vriska grabs her chin and orders, "Go on," tenderly shoving her in the direction of the bathroom. After she had left, you are left on the couch, gaping.

"How did you learn to get her to thettle down? I uthually have to thit there and deal with it."

Vriska shrugs nonchalantly, turning to retrieve the food from the counter, and throws your box of chicken at you. "I just know how to get through to her." She settles on the opposite side of the coffee table. "What was she interrogating you about?"

"Nothing important." You try to hide your face by digging in the box, not actually sure what Terezi's usual was. _Ah, wicked wings, _you think to yourself, trying to get your mind off of the conversation at hand.

"So it was about Karkat, then?"

The food almost fell off your lap, and the blonde chuckles. "Are- Did you jutht… Never mind."

"I only assume because you said it was 'nothing important.'" You throw a piece of your roll at her, and she laughs. "That and it's not like we haven't been expecting it for some time."

"Ekthpecting _what _for thome time?"

"For you and Karkat to get together in some form or fashion."

"What do you mean?" You were trying to play it cool, but that wasn't working out for you very well. And what she was saying didn't make any sense. You hadn't told anyone that you actually _like_ Karkat, seen as how you were only certain after last night.

"Are you really that fucking stupid?"

"You already know the answer to that, Vrisy." Terezi sauntered back into the room, her demeanor back to her normal state. Not saying much… "When it comes to who got the brains in the split of abilities at the birthing of my twin, I'd say I was on the lower side of the scale." You roll your eyes.

Her girlfriend shrugs, quickly raising her eyebrows as a form of agreement, as Terezi takes a place on the floor next to her, grabbing the box that holds her supper.

"What are you two talking about?" Your impatience is getting the better of you.

Vriska points a half-eaten chicken wing at you as she speaks. "Don't try that. It's so obvious! You've been pining over him for _ages. _God, it was annoying."

"Have I really?" Your question had begun as a snarky retort, but now you are genuinely curious. You always thought you knew what you were feeling, but, now that you think about it, you have no clue what you feel when it comes to Karkat. Or rather, what you did, since you were finally certain of what you felt after last night. But still, was it possible for _everyone _around you to see it for some time now, and you had only begun to question it a few days ago? With a groan, your head falls to the back of the couch.

"God, you are an idiot," Vriska said, emphasizing each individual word.

"I know, I know," you mumble in irritation. "How long have you noticed it?" Your curiosity was eating away at you.

"A few months," Terezi answers.

Your eyes widen, as you slowly lift your head to stare at them. "You're fucking with me."

"Not at all, boyo!" Vriska chirps, obviously bored with the topic. "Did you really not know what your _own _fucking feelings were?" Both of them stare at you, incredulous, Terezi holding a wing halfway up to her open mouth.

"Well…" you begin to admit.

"Oh, my damn," Vriska murmured.

"I may have felt thomething…but I wathn't thure! I mean, anytime I looked at him, my thtomach would flip and it felt like thomething relative of a chill wath running up and down my thpine, but I didn't think anything of it."

"Haven't you ever liked anybody before in your life?" Vriska finishes the last of her food before taking your sister's hand, twining their fingers together. Terezi attempts to continue eating one-handed, getting a few specs of cayenne pepper on the corner of her mouth. Vriska smiles lovingly, leaning in to kiss her cheek. The display makes you sigh, wishing you could have that same chemistry with him…

"Please, the only relationship he's ever had is with his computers," Terezi teases. "Heehee, I bet he'd get a boner just looking at one of the most advanced models."

You look away from them, somewhat hurt. While it was partially true – minus the boner-slash-super computer part – you still couldn't stop the sting in your heart of not knowing what it feels like to be with someone, to hold their hand, and to whisper "I love you"s in their ear, and to hold them in your arms. Now more than ever, you want that person to be Karkat, you want him to care for you as much as you do him as more than just a friend.

"So you've never even kissed anyone?" Vriska asks, interrupting your thinking process and self-pitying.

"No, I have. AA and I were curiouth what it wath like. There wathn't anything behind it that would make either of uth want to date each other, though. And we didn't go any further than jutht a few thecondth of touching lipth." You add on the last part for good measure, making sure they don't make any assumptions.

"EW! You kissed that dirty ho?" Vriska exclaimed. You chastise yourself for bringing up Aradia around Vriska, only now remembering how horribly they get along.

"Aradia. Ever the explorer," Terezi says, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder to calm her.

"Rezi, babe, I don't know about you, but I think we've overstayed our welcome." Vriska, still huffy, stands to throw her trash away, grabbing her purse to wait for her girlfriend by the door. "We've got better things to be doing."

You shake your head at her, but turn to your sister to give her a farewell hug nonetheless. "If you ever need Karkles interrogated, you let me know," she tells you on her way out.

After they've left, you wander into the bathroom to take your second shower for the day; a lot of thoughts are buzzing around in your head, and you need to sort them out. But when you reach for your towel, you find that it's sopping. Only then do you notice the overpowering scent of Vriska's perfume having gotten used to most of it during your time with her, and that it's now coming from your towel.

That bitch…

* * *

You had fallen asleep on the couch before the door opened to reveal Karkat. Wondering what time it was, you glance to the clock on the wall; 11:37. You rub your eyes and yawn a greeting as he slips off his shoes next to the kitchen counter.

"Why the fuck does it smell like something died?" were the first words from his mouth.

You chuckle lightly. "Vrithka."

"Ah. Why was she here?"

"Terezi came over to vithit."

"And she had to bring the fucking hooker wanna-be with her?"

"Well, I'm thure thhe didn't want to go anywhere without her girlfriend." You reach for the remote, turning off the TV as Karkat flips on the light in the kitchen, only to turn back around a stare at you in disbelief.

"Terezi and Vriska are together?"

"It would theem tho." You gaze remains on the floor in front of you, glancing at him from the corner of your eye, your hands clasped together and your elbows supporting your weight on your knees.

"Why the fuck would your sister date that bitch? She's arrogant and rude and selfish and-" He stops short when he notices the look you have on your face - an eyebrow is quirked, and a smirk is tugging at your lips – once you've turned your head to look at him. After the moment it takes for him to realize what your expression means, his eyebrows are immediately furrow, and the corners of his mouth plummet. "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL IS THAT LOOK FOR?" Judging by the volume of his voice, you're pretty sure that was more of a challenge than a question.

"I think you already know that, KK," you say calmly, leaning back on the couch, folding your arms across your chest.

"ARE WE REALLY GOING TO FUCKING START THIS SHIT AGAIN?"

"You're the one flipping thhit!" You stay in the same position, but you can't help the slight rise in your voice.

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO FLIP ALL THE FUCKING SHIT THAT I WANT! WHAT GIVES YOU THE FUCKING ENTITLEMENT TO TALK SHIT ABOUT MY BOYFRIEND?"

"I'm not the one talking thit! I wath only pointing out your fucking hypocrithy!"

"HYPOCRISY? IS THAT WHAT IT IS TO YOU?"

"Yeth!" You were on your feet now, stalking toward him. "Or did you not notice the way he treated you earlier today at the mall? Becauthe, to me, that theemed like a pretty thhitty way to be toward the one your thuppothed to be with!"

"PLEASE, YOU'RE JUST ANNOYED BECAUSE YOU HAD TO CARRY ALL OF HIS FUCKING SHIT! HE TREATED ME VERY WELL!"

"You've got to be fucking thhitting me!"

"HE HAS A HIGH VERY HIGH FUCKING REGARD FOR ME! THAT'S JUST HOW HE IS AROUND _NEW_ PEOPLE!"

"Tho you're blaming hith behavior on me? Me, who invited the both of you to the mall in the firtht place."

"I'M SURE AS HELL NOT BLAMING TEREZI!"

"Well, that'th great becauthe to me, it looked like that wathn't the firtht time thomething like that had happened, judging by your reaction. And it'th funny; I don't theem to remember going to the mall with the two of you before today!"

The sound of flesh on flesh is followed by dazed silence. Your head was forced to turn by the power of the slap that left your cheek pricking. Staring at whatever it was that your gaze fell on after the blow – you weren't even sure what it was – you try to process the occurrence. You chastise yourself.

How had you driven him to this point? Threatening tears lightly burn in the corners of your eyes as you slowly turn back to Karkat, your mouth on hinges and springs as you clamber for an apology. You're stopped short when you see the streams running down his cheeks, his hand still outstretched from the strike.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HE'S LIKE AROUND ME!" Even through his yelling, you could detect the panic, the absolute misery in his voice as more sobs broke through his pathetic attempt at the façade. "HE'S- He's…" He buries his face in his hands, freeing more whimpers.

With shaking limbs you step forward to wrap your arms around him in comfort. "He'th a dick," you offer. Karkat is pushing your arms away from him before you can touch him, running past you to the security of his room, and slams his door shut with a solid pound.

You remain stunned, staring in the direction he escaped, lightly testing the tingling skin of your cheek.

_Well done, Captor. Well done._

* * *

The next morning, you stumble out of your room, having only gotten just short of three hours of a light, dreamless sleep. You were wandering into the living room near nine o'clock, a very early time for you. Your thoughts had been racing all night, leaving you with little rest. Luckily, you came up with a way to apologize to your roommate, who is currently lounging on the couch, channel surfing.

"Morning," you greet. When he doesn't respond, you sigh, walking to stand in front of him, blocking his view of the television. You outstretch a hand to him, but all he does is glance between the offered limb and your face from beneath furrowed eyebrows. Rolling your eyes, you lean down to force his hand into yours, shaking it with a firm grip. "Hi. My name'th Thollukth Captor. I'll be your roommate for ath long ath you can thtand me."

Reclaiming his hand, he asks, "What the fuck are you doing, Captor?"

"Introducing mythelf. It'th about time we learned about each other, wouldn't you thay? We've only been betht friendth for the patht couple of yearth." You take a seat on the couch, turned sideways to face him.

He sends a very perplexed sidelong glare in your direction. You simply smile and shrug in return.

"C'mon. Let'th get away for a while. Jutht…thpend the day together."

He sighs, and you can see the obvious reluctance in his expression.

"I think it'd be good for uth," you coax. "Getting away from all the thtreth."

"You can't run away from everything," he murmurs. "It'll catch up to you eventually."

"Doethn't mean you can't give it a hell of a hunt."

A corner of his lips is tugged upward as his grey eyes meet your dichromatic gaze. Your breath hitches as your heart palpitates, your stomach tossing. You have to remind yourself to breath, sending a shaky smile to him in return.

"Let's fucking go then, sapsmear."

You ruffle his hair – to which he groans crabbily – and you both jump off of the couch.

Nearly half of an hour later, you find yourself sitting next to Karkat at a mostly deserted playground, save for a group of high school students sitting behind a poor tree cover passing around a joint. The two of you are sitting on top of the monkey bars, letting your legs swing freely below you. You're watching Karkat patiently, who keeps his unfocused gaze on the sand surrounding the supporting beams.

"Tho… Like I thaid, I'm Thollukth. I…build computerth and thhit, ethpecially thpecific to gaming, and I thell thothe… Uh…" Talking about yourself was a lot harder than you thought it would be. "I'm bipolar, and obviouthly have a lithp that'th more evident when I'm upthet. And…I live in an apartment with my betht friend…though I'm not thure he wantth to continue living there."

He gives a minute, bitter chuckle. Karkat's eyes still won't meet yours as he begins. "I'm Karkat. I fucking love the Mass Effect series. I can be a short-tempered ass." You chuckle and he ignores you. "I…have a boyfriend whose name is Eridan. He can be a dick, but there's still something there that…attracts me to him. I've known for a while that I was gay, but I was too fucking scared to tell anyone. Especially mybest friend because I thought, and still think, that he may be a homophobe, and would hate me, or kick me out. We had never had a fight as fucking big as when I told him about Eridan. He got mad and started flipping all of the shit, and we've been having issues with our friendship ever since."

"Hm," you muse. "Well your betht 'friend' thounsth like a douche bag." You earn a chuckle from him as he leans back on a handle, supported by his arm.

"Hell yeah, he is."

"You detherve better than that, Karkat. How about I try to thraighten thith guy'th mindthet out?"

"That would be a fucking miracle."

"I think I could get him to change."

"I don't want him to change who he is. I just want him to try and fucking understand me better."

"I'll talk to him about that, then."

"Thanks."

You both smile at each other before you reach out, waiting for a hug. He accepts, leaning over to wrap his arms around your middle. You can hear "aw"s from the group of teenagers, to which Karkat releases you and send them a message with his finger.

"GO FUCK YOURSELVES!"

You join in with the chorus of their good-natured laughter.


End file.
